Category: Resources

  • Morale Boosting Ideas for Your Inbound Call Center Workers

    Morale Boosting Ideas for Your Inbound Call Center Workers

    morale boosting ideas

    Are you killing your employees?

    Workplace stress is harmful to the physical and mental health of your employees. Coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, panic attacks, and headaches can all come from chronic levels of stress.

    Do you have a toxic workplace environment? If your workers have low levels of energy and can barely wait to leave at the end of the day, your business will suffer. Luckily for you, there is a way to get rid of negative attitudes in the office.

    You have to foster an atmosphere of happiness and joy if you want your employees to love coming to work. Happiness is a powerful force that can improve employee relationships and increase sales. On average, happy employees are 12% more productive than sad ones.

    Read on to learn about morale boosting ideas that will help your employees- convert more calls into sales.

    Benefits of Having Happy Workers

    Before you can create happy employees you should know why you’re doing it. Employees who love what they do will be better assets to your company. Here are a few benefits you’ll enjoy from having happier employees:

    • Fewer health problems
    • Better sale conversions
    • Improved productivity
    • Critical thinking and problem solving
    • Desire to grow
    • High retention rates
    • Ability to recruit quality talent

    Does your company use digital marketing tools or lead generation services?

    Make sure your employees understand the time and money that goes into generating their leads. It’s common for workers to slow down in production as the day reaches an end.

    However, your workers should treat every call with the same level of determination and enthusiasm no matter what time of day it is. You can get the most out of your digital marketing efforts when your employees have medium to high levels of energy all day long.

    Problems with Unhappy Workers

    Disgruntled, unhappy workers can spread their bad mojo through the office faster than a cold. Toxic work environments can create employees that will cost you more money than they make you. Here are a few problems unhappy workers can cause:

    • Toxic work environment
    • Negative attitudes
    • Waste time and money
    • Low sales conversions
    • Repel new talent

    Many inbound call center workers rely on commission for their pay. When workers don’t believe they can make the sales they need, they’ll stop trying. If you do pay an hourly wage, you’ll be wasting your company’s money on workers who aren’t even trying.

    Top salespeople may lose their momentum if everyone around them is constantly complaining. Instead of being happy with their sales, top salespeople will feel the need to hide their success.

    Your call center will be a dangerous blend of envy and fear. With these two emotions running the show open collaboration and exchanging of helpful ideas becomes nearly impossible.

    Let’s look at what you can do if you believe your workplace needs a positivity makeover.

    What Are Morale Boosting Ideas?

    Recognizing your call center’s missing something is the first step towards finding a solution. There are 3 main reasons people will hate their job position.

    Anonymity

    Do your workers know how much you value what they do? If not, they may feel like an invisible, entity that doesn’t have any level of significance within your business.

    It’s important to not only notice the work your employees do but to also acknowledge the existence of their personal lives. As a manager, it’s important for you to express interest in what goes on when the work day is over.

    Congratulating a worker on their new car or house can go a long way in showing you care about them as a human being.

    Irrelevance

    Have you ever felt like your employees are just going through the motions? They might feel like there isn’t any point to the work they complete. It’s important to let employees know how their work affects the entire company as a whole.

    Immeasurement

    In sales, it’s critical for your workers to know how they’re doing. If employees can’t measure their level of success they won’t have any motivation to improve. Friendly competition in the workplace is important if you want your sales team to care about what they do.

    Morale boosting ideas will help you address problems with anonymity, irrelevance, and immeasurability. First, let’s look at an idea that will help your employees know you value them not just as workers but as individuals too.

    Personalized Cubicles

    Plan a day where your employees can spend an hour customizing their cubicles. Encourage workers to put up pictures of things they want that motivate them. Having a visual goal to work towards or for can be a tremendous source of encouragement. Here are a few ideas you can suggest when your workers are designing their cubicles:

    • Use bright cheery colors like yellow or orange
    • Zen Garden
    • Inspirational quotes
    • Use calming colors like blue or green
    • Photos of family and friends
    • Magazine cutouts of dream vacations
    • Picture of a new car they want to buy

    If your workers don’t have a cubicle you can still help them customize their workspace. A desktop calendar is a great tool for visually stating and tracking sales goals.

    Create Teams

    If you want to transform the way your coworkers view each other put them on teams. Workplace teams are a phenomenal way to foster friendly competition with daily and weekly sales goals.

    You can give the teams their names or allow them the opportunity to name themselves. Have the teams meet with each other every day before getting on the phones.

    During the meetings, a team leader can guide the group in a conversation about sales goals. Team members will be able to express things that they’re having trouble with. It’s also a great opportunity for team members to share success stories and offer teammates helpful advice.

    Perhaps some of your employees are having trouble mastering the art of a warm transfer. Instead of worrying about it your employees will know they have a safe space during the team meeting to discuss what they’re struggling with.

    Remote Call Center Jobs

    Remote call center jobs can have a  difficult time making employees feel good. Not being able to physically see employees can make it hard to boost workplace morale.

    However, it isn’t impossible to create a welcoming environment for employees who work from home. If you’re employees telecommute you can foster workplace communication through telephone conferences, facetime calls, and online communities.

    Drive In More Calls

    Morale boosting ideas can help transform your company’s work environment.

    Hypertarget Marketing wants to help you grow your business. We are a performance marketing agency that can increase your daily call volume. When you hire us you’re paying to speak with customers who are genuinely interested in your product or service.

    Our process allows us to drive inbound calls to your center using mobile-optimized websites. Recent advances in technology have given us the ability to combine call metrics and paid traffic. Our marketing platform generates quality leads for you to convert into sales.

    Look at our past and ongoing projects to get an idea of what we’re capable of. In the bottom corner of the page, you’ll see our contact us button. Click on our contact button and let us know how we can help.  We look forward to hearing from you.

  • Business Phone Etiquette 101: Seven Rules Everyone Professional Should Know

    Business Phone Etiquette 101: Seven Rules Everyone Professional Should Know

    business phone etiquetteToday, a call based lead generation service can be the key to take your business to the next level. In inbound and outbound lead generation, business phone etiquette is a must.

    If you don’t know how to handle calls, you’ll be losing your time when you get those leads. Are you and your team handling calls the right way?

    Want to learn the best way to handle your calls? Read on to learn 7 proper phone etiquette rules everyone should know!

    Business Phone Etiquette: 7 Must-Know Rules to Grow Your Business

    Lead generation keeps changing every day. But, the basics are still the same. When you generate a lead, you’ve to try your best to bring it home.

    Today, leads can be via email, text or phone. Yet, the last still remains the most popular lead generating method. How can you make the most out of call leads?

    The key is proper phone etiquette. Yes, it’s that simple. You can try to sell the best product or services.

    But, if you don’t market it to the customer in the right way. Your efforts are mute. This might come as a surprise to you.

    Phone manners go a long way to bring that sale home. Here are 7 must know proper phone etiquette rules to help you seal the deal:

    1. Introduce Yourself in a Professional Manner

    Many people don’t believe in how much first impressions count. But, that’s why they say you never get a second chance to make a first impression. It’s proper business etiquette to introduce yourself in a professional manner to your customer.

    When you pick up the phone to answer or call them, remember you’re the company brand. It’s very important to introduce yourself by telling the customer your full name. Also, a good opening would be how you can help them.

    You could tell them your full name, company, and department. That way the client knows why you’re reaching out to them.

    2. Speak in a Clear Manner and Smile

    When making a call to a customer, you should speak in a clear manner and smile. You might doubt the power of smiling when you’re talking to someone. Because after all, they aren’t seeing you.

    Yet, believe it or not, the person listening can sense if you’re smiling. If you communicate in a clear manner and smile, your customer will feel comfortable. Your customer needs to feel secure and comfortable enough to buy or keep using your services.

    3. Address Your Customer in a Polite Manner

    When addressing a customer, everyone should be polite. You should address them by their title and last name. An unfamiliar customer should never be addressed by their first name.

    An example of addressing your customer in a polite way is “Good Morning Mr. Carmichael” or “Good Afternoon Mrs. Jones”. Customers will feel respected and cared for when addressed in a polite manner.

    4. Match Your Customer’s Tone

    Not all customers are alike. When speaking with them, you must match their tone. Yes, you might be energetic and motivated.

    But, you should never go over their tone. Some clients are more serious than others. They might not feel comfortable if you don’t match their tone.

    Remember that you should always aim to make them feel good about the business relationship. The way they feel will determine if they do business with you.

    5. Hear Your Customer and Give Them Time to Process

    In sales and customer service, you must be open to listening to your customer. We’ve to put ourselves in their shoes. Most of the time, they’ll be calling you to solve their problems.

    To provide the best service, you must hear them out. What’s their situation? What do they need?

    These are some of the questions you may ask them to gather more information about their needs. Also, it’s good practice to repeat to them what they tell you. This way you can make sure you’re understanding their situation.

    When providing a solution to their problems, you should give them time to process it. Ask them if they’ve any questions about what you just discussed. Listening to your client and, giving them time to process builds trust.

    At the end of the day, you want a long lasting business relationship. You can only build it through trust.

    6. Don’t Leave Your Customer Hanging

    Try to put a customer on hold only when you’ve to. Before putting them on hold, ask them for permission to do so. If you expect to put them on hold for a long time, tell them ahead so they can be aware of it.

    If it seems like the period is going to be too long, ask to call them back. Also, you should tell them if you’ll have to extend their hold longer than expected. Keeping your customer posted can help them remain calm.

    7. Try to Keep It Light and Easy

    When handling calls, you’ve to keep it light and easy. You should try your best to stay positive and calm.

    We know handling phone calls with clients can be frustrating. Most of all when you’ve to deal with an unhappy customer. Sometimes you might snap at customers.

    When that happens you should excuse yourself and, take a break to regroup. If you take breaks when necessary and try your best to keep a positive attitude, you’ll be able to provide the best service.

    Bottom Line

    Learning the right business phone etiquette is a must for a successful lead generation. The way you communicate with your prospective client will set the tone for your business relationship. You want them to feel comfortable but always keeping the professional tone.

    At the end of the day, you’re talking business with them. You should always aim to meet your client’s needs. Yet, you should keep in mind the limits within your business relationship.

    Be realistic when you promise them to fix their problems. Like they say honesty is the best policy. We’re confident that you’ll grow your business in no time if you follow our 7 proper phone etiquette rules.

    Now that you know the 7 must know rules of proper phone etiquette. Want to learn more about outbound and inbound lead generation? Check out our article to learn more.

  • Reasons to Attend an Affiliate or Performance Marketing Conference

    In any industry, interaction and participation are keys to success. Without some method of interaction, becoming knowledgeable of industry changes, meeting people, and growing your business would be difficult. This is why people go to conferences. Conferences have solutions. The following list includes some of the best reasons to attend an affiliate conference.

    Gurus and Technology

    Conferences are places where all of the experts come together in one location. Many gurus give seminars on internet marketing and other aspects that can include best practices or new methods of success. Often times, these experts will stay after their presentations to meet with guests and answer additional questions. Furthermore, experts on new technologies are available, giving you more access to tools that could help your business operate more effectively.

    Other Affiliates and Performance Marketers plus Vendors

    It is highly probable that you will run into other affiliates and marketers at these conferences. These opportunities are perfect for meeting affiliates in your region or area, and connecting with any local groups that could help you gain and master internet marketing skills. Additionally, there will be plenty of vendor contacts and instances in which to compare tools.

    Information

    This is one of the most important benefits you gain going to an affiliate conference. With everything going on, the most relevant information for internet marketers will be available to you.  Any and all information is useful to everybody, from beginning performance marketers to seasoned marketers.

    A Great Time

    Who says you can’t work and play at the same time. Between the giveaways, prizes, and parties, affiliate and performance marketing conferences are a blast. The social nature of conferences create atmospheres perfect for meeting new friends and building quality, professional relationships.

    It is important for all affiliate and performance marketers to reap the benefits of a conference at least once. These conferences provide you with the knowledge and means to have a flourishing internet marketing business. Below is a list of several of the affiliate marketing conferences happening in 2015.

    -Affiliate Summit West in Las Vegas, January 18-20

    -ICOM 2015, February 17-18, Colombo, Sri Lanka

    -IEG 2015, March 15-18, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.

    -DIGIMARCON WEST, March 19-20, Vail, Colorado, U.S.

    -World Social Marketing Conference, April 19-21, Sydney, Australia

    -Social Media Marketing World, March 25-27, San Diego, California, U.S.

    -INBOUND, September 8-11, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

    -AMA’s Annual Marketing Conference, September 9-11, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.

  • Google Penguin Changed Virtually Everything – But This Key Concept Still Reigns

    Google Penguin Changed Virtually Everything – But This Key Concept Still Reigns

    One of the best and most cost effective ways for online performance marketers to get their message across to potential clients is to ensure that they are easily searchable on Google. But while this goal is easy to execute in principle, it can be nothing short of a Herculean task in practice. Due to continuous, and often devastating, updates in Google’s search algorithm, a site which is on the front page today may be relegated to page seven tomorrow. But if there is one trend which seems solid and bankable, it is that Google likes quality original content.

    Here comes the Penguin

    In late 2013 Google released its latest search algorithm update, affectionately called Penguin 2.1. While the update was meant to target spammy sites for downgrades in the overall search ranking results, many legitimate sites also got hit. In order to make sure that your organic search methods comply with the update, and ensure that your online performance marketing goals are met and exceeded, follow these recommendations when creating online content:

    Focus on valuable unique content

    The purpose of Penguin 2.1 was to essentially reduce the search rankings of unhelpful webpages, and increase the search rankings of pages which tend to offer the searcher relevant and valuable information. One of the best ways to preserve, and even increase, your search engine rankings is to consistently ad new, unique, and high quality content to your website.

    Avoid the very appearance of spammy links
    If you are advertising your website with spammy forum comments, blogroll spam, or even blog comments signature spam, your site may suffer wrath of Penguin 2.1 or future updates. Immediately analyze your links critically, and remove any unnatural links which may trigger a downgrade in your positioning.

    Challenge Google at your own peril

    As can be seen here in a story related to popular website rap genius, trying to manipulate Google’s search algorithms can be a dangerous exercise. If you are looking to try to exploit Google’s search methodology for your own benefit, be warned: you may get slapped. Instead of going head to head with Google, especially in a blatant and public manner, it is far better to focus on producing the kind of content which will cause your web pages to rank well organically.

    The Bottom Line

    Trying to master Google rankings is tantamount to trying to hit a moving target. But, considering the internet itself is little more than a massive collection of content, those who focused on producing the best content will generally have the fewest worries. This is because it is the job of search engines to continue to seek better ways to deliver their customers with the most relevant search results. The more you focus on offering your product or service in a way which is genuinely helpful to your site’s end user, the more likely you are to consistently rank well and avoid falling victim to future search engine algorithm updates.